


new beginnings

by cthulu_sun, mikazuki21



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25976428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cthulu_sun/pseuds/cthulu_sun, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikazuki21/pseuds/mikazuki21
Summary: "autumn boy," they say, and their voice is raw. bloody, like it hasn't been used in a long time. "I remember you."(this is how it starts: there is a boy, and he is lonely. there is a boy, and even with magic that pulses in the world around him there are things that only he can see. terrifying things. he tries to run from them, tries to block them out of his vision, tells himself they're not real, and cannot hurt him. this is a lie. sometimes they hurt him physically, intentionally, and sometimes they do not mean to hurt him but still do. the boy is tired, and alone, and he does not want to see them anymore.)"where is your magic?" the yokai asks, and takashi's heart shivers. his stomach clenches. it should not be a painful question after this long, but even so he aches with loss."gone," he says, and the yokai hums, something quiet. soothing. it eases the knot beginning to tangle in takashi's chest, and he remembers that this yokai would not judge him. had not judged him even when he made mistakes that would follow him for the rest of his life.-takashi navigates growing up, moving out, and meeting an old friend
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34
Collections: Natsume Yuujinchou Bang Summer 2k20





	new beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> written for the natsuyuu summer big bang!! the art is by mikazuki (mikazukidoesart on tumblr)

the night before takashi moves out, touko-san gives him a flower, pressed into a sheet of paper. he sits in his room, gently brushing his hand over the petals. touko-san’s quiet magic hums beneath his fingers, a subtle protection charm wound tight around the stem. from what his friends have told him this is common, for parents, but it’s still a kindness he hadn’t quite been expecting. sometimes she’ll slip little charms into his school bag, pebbles or leaves or feathers, but this is the first time she’s given him one outright, instead of trying to sneak it into his possession without him noticing. the thought warms him. 

(takashi’s going to miss this, when he leaves. the small ways his guardians have found to care for him. he’s going to miss them.)

in the morning he rolls the paper up and tucks it into his suitcase. touko-san doesn’t mention it, but she must be able to feel it in there, even as hidden away as it is. takashi hopes the fact that he’s keeping it with him will help ease her worries, even as he knows she’ll worry regardless. it had taken a long time to get used to someone being so concerned about his wellbeing, but he’s grown to expect all her fussing. at least a little. (he’s learned, too, that magic users tend to see people like him as especially fragile. easy to hurt, easy to break.)

so he lets her straighten his shirt and brush his hair away from his face and tie a strip of cloth around his wrist. another protection charm, although it’s fairly weak. if he’s being honest with himself, takashi does kind of like being fussed over. it’s nice to know that she cares this much. 

when she pulls him into a hug, quick and fleeting, he’s not surprised, exactly, but it’s close. they don’t do this often. takashi’s trying to be better about touch, he really is, if only because it makes touko-san happy, but it doesn’t come easily. still, he does his best, leaning into her slightly. 

“remember to call me when you get there,” she says, patting his cheek. from behind him, shigeru-san huffs a laugh. 

“we’ll be fine,” he says, calm and reassuring. he takes the suitcase out of takashi’s hand, and touko-san gives him a carrier bag almost overflowing with boxes of food. 

“I didn’t know we were bringing an army with us,” takashi remarks. touko-san puffs up in pretend indignation. 

she hits him lightly on the shoulder and he laughs, a little. something lightens in his chest. he knows that she cooked so much because she was anxious, the softness of her magic peeking through the boxes, and he wants to reassure her, to tell her he’ll be perfectly fine, but she worries by nature. taki had said, once, that parents with children like takashi tend to be like this, but he knows that she’d be concerned for him anyway. 

so he lets her have this; he soaks up her magic with a careful smile and endures all of her fussing as he and shigeru-san get in the car. 

(and then he’s leaving, shigeru-san quiet by his side. the car hums beneath them. yesterday nishimura had asked if he was excited, if he was nervous, and takashi had shrugged, because he wasn’t sure he felt much of anything. now, though, his stomach twists and turns, running in circles. it could be excitement or nerves. all takashi knows is that from now on things will be different, and the thought is terrifying.)

there’s a yokai following them, floating next to the car. she doesn’t seem hostile, just curious, so takashi takes his chances and waves at her, discreetly. she cautiously approaches the window. 

_madara sent me_ , she writes on the glass. _nothing has happened?_

takashi nods in response. the yokai grins, wide and unsettling, and promptly disappears. sensei is already at takashi’s new apartment, having complained that the car made him feel strange. restless. when his parents had asked, takashi had said tanuma had taken the cat with him. it’s not quite a lie. tanuma is there anyway, having moved in two days before. 

and when they arrive tanuma is running to meet them, sensei just behind him. he helps lift boxes and bags and everything else despite shigeru-san’s protests, carrying takashi’s things with a gentle ease. it’s weird, to think about how much stuff there is. all of takashi’s worldly possessions used to fit neatly into one little cardboard box, and now there’s so many. there were so many things to take with him, and even more he had to leave at home. even that’s remarkable, having a home. somewhere to come back to. 

they call touko-san, too, once they’ve unpacked everything important, and she tells them to keep themselves out of trouble, and to have fun, and that he and tanuma are welcome to come back whenever they want. shigeru-san takes a few pictures of the apartment to show her when he gets back. 

“takashi-kun,” he says softly, before he goes. “take care of yourself. if you need to come home, you can. and remember to call us once in a while!”

watching shigeru-san leave is - well. he’s glad sensei has disappeared inside, because tanuma politely pretends not to notice the dampness of takashi’s eyes. there’s an uncomfortable lump in his throat, a gnawing in his stomach. and tanuma must know, because he stays, steady as rock, and lets takashi hide his face in his shoulder. 

“you should eat something,” he says. a quiet reminder. “i know touko-san made food for you.”

takashi’s somewhere between crying and laughing. “she did,” he confirms. “you want some?”

the two of them end up eating their way through most of touko-san’s snacks, accompanied by sensei, grumbling about how little they offered him. it makes takashi feel warm, somehow, this new domesticity. tanuma’s magic hovers around weakly, and takashi wraps it around the front door handle. sensei helps them make talismans to ward off any malicious yokai, and they hang them in all the rooms. takashi, after much consideration, decides to leave his window open, in case any yokai find their way here and want their name back. 

(the book of friends is steadily getting emptier. enough to be noticeable, but not enough for sensei to worry about. or at least, takashi hasn’t heard him complaining about the lack of names. the book is only a little thinner than it was before.)

takashi and tanuma are sharing a room, which is almost strange, but not quite. strange because the room is new, and because he hasn't really slept in the same room as tanuma alone before. he's gotten used to sleepovers, after years of nishimura inviting himself over and dragging the rest of their friends with him, ushering them all into takashi's bedroom and collecting blankets and pillows from touko-san's cupboards. and takashi never protests; nishimura is annoyingly, persistently, kind, determined for takashi to have the full range of childhood experiences, and while his other friends are less overt they are just as stubborn.

realistically, takashi had known, deep down, that all of them attending the same university was something of an impossible dream. kitamoto hadn't wanted to study something magical, and nishimura had his heart set on somewhere halfway across the country. taki, thankfully, had chosen a university close to the one he and tanuma will be attending, and the three of them agreed to live together. this had not stopped the bone-deep realisation that takashi would miss his friends. before, when he'd moved around, there was no one to miss. no one to cling to. 

but there are people he has had to leave behind, now, and it unsettles him. he's learned, though, that having somewhere to leave also means having somewhere to come back to, and he knows that when the holidays come nishimura will be dragging them all into takashi's room again, eagerly taking touko-san's snacks. 

it takes him a long time to fall asleep. takashi's never done well with new places, as much as he may be used to them, and this is no exception.

taki arrives bright and early in the morning, and almost as soon as she's unpacked she and tanuma are poring over a new book she's found. it’s another magic one, the type of book with too many complicated explanations that takashi can only understand if he concentrates much harder than he’s prepared to right now, and so he leaves them to it, going out for an exploratory walk instead. sensei insists on coming with him, although takashi suspects it’s more because he’s hungry than because he wants to keep takashi company. 

(and sure enough, sensei is begging and whining for food as soon as they’re out the door. takashi eventually caves and buys dango, if only to get some peace and quiet, though he makes sure to scold sensei thoroughly before presenting it to him.)

the town is easy enough to navigate, and while takashi misses his home with a fierce kind of ache he thinks living here won’t be too bad. (he’s used to unfamiliar places, after all, even if he hasn’t moved in a long time). magic peers at him through cracks in the pavement, from the tops of walls, between two buildings. the whole place buzzes with it, lingering traces of protection and wishes and hope, invisible handprints everywhere he goes. it’s not as comforting as he thought it would be. magic rarely is. 

on his way back to the apartment he buys flowers. it’s not really a conscious decision, and he doesn’t fully realise he’s done it until he’s walking out of the shop, flowers in his hands, hoping touko-san will like them. but touko-san isn’t here, and it feels strange. he fiddles with the cloth on his wrist, her magic harder to make out, now. maybe he’ll call her, tonight. 

when takashi does return his friends are still discussing complex magical theories, though they seem to have moved on from the book and have several sheets of paper scattered over the floor, each one more confusing than the last. intending to let them work in peace, takashi carefully edges around the mess and rummages through one of the cupboards, looking for a mug big enough to hold the flowers. unfortunately he’s clearly not quiet enough, because taki reaches over to grab hold of his arm and drag him into the discussion.

“I don’t know anything!” he tries to complain, but taki is insistent. 

“you do,” she argues, and when he actually looks at the spell they’re constructing he realises he does recognise parts of it, at least. they’re using older symbols, ones that have fallen out of common use, and he’s curious as to why. most people don’t bother to learn the difference between the effects of symbols, but it’s a subject that has always fascinated takashi.

(maybe the use of magic is more interesting to those who do not have it.)

“here.” he says, pointing to something he’s pretty sure is an old representation of flame, “you’re missing a line.”

taki lets out an exaggerated wail of frustration. tanuma pats her shoulder consolingly. “I told you to check the book.”

“I was so _sure_ that one was right! ugh, natsume, how could you do this to me?”

takashi shrugs and she swats at him in mock offense. it’s not a bad thing, that she’s so certain of herself and her capabilities, but it does allow for situations where she refuses to make sure that what she’s doing is correct. it could be worse, though, takashi reminds himself; the first time nishimura had tried spellwriting he’d accidentally activated it in his sleep and cast a raincloud, which followed him around for a week. 

there was also the time he’d attempted potion making, with disastrous results. as much as takashi will miss nishimura, he’s not going to miss being covered in slime at unfortunate times. greeting his teacher while wiping the tell-tale stickiness of a failed potion away from his eyes is still one of his most embarrassing moments. 

after a close inspection of their work, takashi has concluded that the majority of it is, in fact, wrong. there are so many missing pieces that he has absolutely no idea what they were trying to accomplish, and both of them are being secretive about it, so he's not really sure how to corrwct them. using older symbols can be valuable, can make the spell work or make it stronger or change its shape, but the symbols are tricky and need to be drawn exactly in order to be able to activate. while takashi's deliberating on how to break the news, tanuma takes one look at his face and sighs. 

"it's okay," he says, and his magic curls around takashi's fingertips. "these are just ideas."

taki is less convinced, but she's quick to leaf through the book again, fixing things here and there as she goes. the symbols are still arranged weirdly, a little crooked, a little haphazard, but despite what his friends think takashi's never been much of a spellwriter, so he says nothing. at least until tanuma explains that they're working on a warming spell that will fit inside a pair of shoes, and takashi has some suggestions.

(it doesn't work properly, burning their feet when they're trying it out, but takashi finds himself having fun anyway. he'd forgotten how much these two can rival nishimura's creativity when they work together.)

a week passes. two. takashi adjusts to living somewhere new, settling into a routine of going to lectures, studying, walking aimlessly around the city, calling his parents, and returning names. helping yokai, when he can. he's mostly aware of the local ones, now, and sensei has slithered into their circles, although he's always complaining about how different everything is when he's at home. he also constantly complains about missing touko-san's cooking, so takashi bans him from mealtimes, shutting him out of the room. taki still gives in and opens the door sometimes, the traitor. 

nishimura and kitamoto come to visit one weekend, bringing chaos with them. apparently nishimura has been practicing, and is so excited about his new spellwriting abilities that he starts levitating. it is both impressive and terrifying. 

when they leave takashi feels like a piece of him has been scooped out, an empty space left behind. they give him little protection spells, too, small impressions of their magic that he can keep with him, but it's still not easy. still makes him wish he could have stayed in stasis at home forever.

making friends at university helps, though. he'd expected it to be awkward, walking into a room full of magic users who can instantly tell that he has none of his own even though he wears the magic of others like a second skin, but nobody had paid him much attention beyond the usual initial confusion. he's enjoying his course, too, and he's been learning a lot about magical history, in particular. there aren't many students who are also studying the use of spell symbols throughout history, and manages to make friends with a few of the ones he recognises.

(taki is thriving, experimenting more and more with unique spells, and often drags tanuma into her ideas. sometimes takashi will help, gently correcting symbols, but for the most part he doesn't have much to contribute, and so offers to be a test subject instead.)

one afternoon he's running across campus, almost late for another lecture, when he bumps into a yokai. the collision sends them both flying, and takashi drags himself upright with anger slowly rising in his chest. it dims a little when he gets a good look at the yokai, though, because they're sitting on the ground, shaking. not looking at him at all, even, gaze instead fixed on their feet. they're wearing a simple yukata, and their long hair is pulled into a loose braid. 

takashi is, suddenly, a shadow. a memory. something about this feels familiar. 

"sorry," they mumble, and takashi has to strain to hear it. he bows, just so they know he's heard them and isn't ignoring them, and sprints. he's not quite late, but it's close. too close, really.

the appearance of the yokai eats at him for the rest of the day. slithers into his brain and sticks there, immovable. something sits on the tip of his tongue, the edge of his mind, the corners of his senses. maybe he's met them before, somewhere. takashi's blocked out most of his before, softened the harsh edges of it into something easy to swallow, easy to forget, but this keeps knocking at his memory. peristent. an unwanted guest. perhaps they'd met when takashi was still too young to grasp that no one else could see the things he could, even with magic running through their veins.

it's only later, when his friends are asleep and takashi is watching the moon from the window, that he remembers. where takashi had lived before, somewhere takashi had lived before, there was a yokai like this, who never looked up. was always staring at the ground below them because looking at a person directly hurt too much to bear. they'd been shy, at first. cautious, like takashi, but they'd been kind, too. he remembers it like he remembers every kindness ever shown to him, etched into his skin again, again, again. 

("will this work?" they'd asked, peering at the bubbling liquid in the cauldron.

"I don't know," takashi had replied, because you could never be sure, with these things. magic is precise, and does not allow for even the smallest of mistakes. "I hope so."

it hadn't worked, in the end. he never attempted it again.)

the memory is not quite unpleasant, but it's not really a good one either. just something. a brief moment in time when takashi wasn't lonely, and yet. he'd wondered, back then, if people like him were simply meant to be alone. solitary creatures. it had stung, that thought, but it was the truth, before. even when he wasn't lonely he was still in trouble. still a liar. still a freak. 

maybe it's the same yokai. or maybe not. they didn't seem to recognise him. if they are here somehow, though, then takashi wants to find them again. to apologise. to thank them for trying, even if there was nothing they could have done to stop what ended up happening. yokai rarely helped him, before. (but he remembers this yokai had tried, trembling with fear, and that had been more than anyone else had done in a long time.)

takashi doesn't sleep well that night. he never really sleeps well anyway, but somehow he sleeps worse than he usually does. memories settle into his hands, twisting like snakes, and his dreams are strange. unnatural. sensei snores in one corner of the room, and tanuma shifts in his sleep in another. the night feels fragile, like glass, and takashi steps out of bed, letting the darkness sink into him. he quietly shuffles into the kitchen, bare feet cold on the wooden floor.

he makes tea, slow and methodical. something easy to focus on. with a steaming mug in his hands he sits by the window, watching the occasional car drive past. ambiguous magic wraps around his shoulders like a blanket, and the weight of it is comforting. familiar.

all of his cluttering around must have woken taki up, because she comes out of her room yawning, rubbing her eyes. 

"natsume?"

her voice is a whisper. an echo. the quivering strings of a harp. takashi does not move, does not speak, but she understands regardless, and settles next to him. the silence is warm. soft. 

when tanuma finds them in the morning he is smiling, and it looks like home. he settles between them, bringing breakfast with him, and takashi is filled with the sudden and overwhelming urge to cry, so grateful that he has these people in his life. it's embarrassing.

he does find the yokai again, a week later. they're sitting in a tree, hands peeling an orange. the branch sways back and forth as they swing their legs, and even though he knows they'll be fine takashi can't help but worry that they're about to fall. a bird swoops past and the yokai reaches up to pet it, gentle and sweet. they don't look at takashi but wave to him anyway, so they must have noticed him. 

there's no one around. he'd checked, before approaching them. "hi!" he calls, and it feels a little foolish, but they don't seem to want to come down.

the orange drops. before it can collide with the ground takashi catches it and keeps it in his cupped hands. it's completely peeled, and he wonders, briefly, if he's meant to eat it. the yokai leaps from the tree and lands delicately in front of him, still looking down. away from his eyes. he holds out the orange; the yokai doesn't take it. instead, their hands bunch into fists by their sides.

"autumn boy," they say, and their voice is raw. bloody, like it hasn't been used in a long time. "I remember you."

(this is how it starts: there is a boy, and he is lonely. there is a boy, and even with magic that pulses in the world around him there are things that only he can see. terrifying things. he tries to run from them, tries to block them out of his vision, tells himself they're not real, and cannot hurt him. this is a lie. sometimes they hurt him physically, intentionally, and sometimes they do not mean to hurt him but still do. the boy is tired, and alone, and he does not want to see them anymore.)

"where is your magic?" the yokai asks, and takashi's heart shivers. his stomach clenches. it should not be a painful question after this long, but even so he aches with loss.

"gone," he says, and the yokai hums, something quiet. soothing. it eases the knot beginning to tangle in takashi's chest, and he remembers that this yokai would not judge him. had not judged him even when he made mistakes that would follow him for the rest of his life.

takashi has not truly thought about losing his magic in years. it is an old wound, one that opens unexpectedly at the most inconvenient times, but he doesn't let himself dwell on it. magic is not a necessity, no matter what other people may think. he misses the feeling of it buzzing beneath his skin, of course he does, but the past cannot be changed, and so takashi rarely thinks about how his magic used to be. 

-

he'd met the yokai in the attic of one of the households he'd stayed in as a child. he liked the attic because it was quiet, and no one else really went up there. it was an easy place to hide.

and then he'd seen the yokai, sitting with their knees pulled up to their chest, looking down. maybe he was scared, at first, because yokai have always scared him, and he hadn't met any kind ones, then. but the yokai didn't move at all, and mostly seemed unaware of his presence. so he'd sat down not quite next to them, and enjoyed the silence. it hadn't lasted long, though, because someone came looking for him, but it was nice. the next day the yokai was still there, in the same place, and takashi had thought they looked lonely, almost, and sat a little closer, this time. 

the two of them didn't talk much, the first few days. takashi didn't know what to say, really, and the yokai didn't seem to want to talk, anyway.

"your magic feels like autumn," was the first thing the yokai had said to him, and it reminded him of his father.

( _you're like a leaf, takashi_ , his father would say, bright eyes crinkling with mirth. _a little brown leaf on the path._ ) 

not knowing how to respond, takashi had said nothing, and the moment passed. the yokai's magic had been as shy as its owner, hard to even notice, so he couldn't return the compliment. shy as it was, though, takashi nearly leapt out of his skin when the magic coiled around his ankle; it had been like water, almost. like rain. the yokai had apologised profusely, once they realised, but takashi found he didn't really mind. the weight was calming, and the magic wasn't malicious, he could tell. just curious. 

they became something like friends, after that. takashi talked more, anyway, and the yokai listened. the yokai was a good listener, he remembers. didn't interrupt but still made sure to let him know they were paying attention, even in small ways. he'd said once, bitter and aching, that he wished he could stop seeing yokai, and the next day there had been a book in the attic, one of the theoretical ones listing potential spells and potions. inside was a potion that could, if he brewed it correctly, remove his Sight. 

the yokai had read the recipe with him, and helped him gather ingredients. dragged a heavy cauldron up three flights of stairs so that takashi wouldn't have to. they didn't assist with the actual potion making and seemed content to sit next to him and watch, curious. their magic lingered at the edge of the cauldron, and it had been stronger, then. like earth. 

what takashi didn't realise at first was that something else had followed him home, and they were waiting. the potion bubbled away happily for hours, slowly turning from a murky brown to a light blue, and takashi managed to fill a glass jar with the thick liquid. while his back was turned, though, there was a loud crashing sound, and he spun back around, alarmed. standing in a puddle of blue potion was his yokai friend, shaking, but their fists were clenched and their expression was pulled into a frown. opposite then, sitting on top of the overturned cauldron, was a little boy, grinning. another yokai.

takashi froze.

(he doesn't remember much of what happened, after that. the woman he was staying with, having heard the noise, had stormed up to the attic. by that point takashi had been doing his best to clean the mess, but he was banned from entering the attic again. he'd moved shortly after, and at the time he'd regretted not being able to say goodbye to the yokai. not being able to thank them for all their help. and he regrets it now, in front of them. takashi has always been followed by the weight of his mistakes. after he'd moved he had tried the potion, drinking as much as he could stomach, but instead of taking his Sight it had taken his magic.)

in the present the yokai is watching him, head tilted, like an owl. "autumn boy."

"yes?"

takashi's nervous. perhaps the yokai is angry, after all. maybe they've changed. he feels like a feather, like a leaf. something fragile, about to come loose. 

but the yokai isn't angry. "tell me your name," they say instead, and takashi is filled with gentle relief. 

"natsume," he says. "natsume takashi."

the yokai hums, and it sounds like bells. "my name is kan," they say. a gift. 

takashi smiles. an acknowledgement. "it's good to see you again."

and it is good to see them again, despite everything. he's missed their quiet, easy company, and he's been feeling lighter ever since he met them again. wind ruffles his hair. kan's magic curls around his wrist, followed by another, softer type of magic. takashi winces internally.

"natsume?" taki asks. she'd probably seen him standing there, talking to nothing, and decided to check if he needed help. over the years they've worked out a system, so takashi just untangles her magic and sends it back to her instead. she comes closer anyway, but she's clearly more curious than concerned.

"I'm fine," takashi says, just in case. "talking to a friend."

it's nice, to be able to call them that. kan seems to like it, too, and they bounce on their toes when taki glances in their direction. he tells he where they are, and taki beams.

"nice to meet you, natsume's friend!"

takashi laughs a little, because she's ended up bowing in the wrong direction, and he grabs her arm to reposition her. kan doesn't seem to mind, eagerly bowing back to her despite taki not being able to see them. takashi is filled to the brim with light. 

he feels tanuma's magic carefully nudging at his back, and turns to see him walking towards them. when he notices takashi looking he waves, and quickens his pace. taki turns too, waving, and calls out to him.

"hi, natsume," tanuma says, when he's close enough. he slides an arm around takashi's shoulders, pulling him in, and then frowns. "are you busy?"

"they're a friend," takashi explains. tanuma will understand. "did you need me?"

"we have something to show you!" taki bursts out, and tanuma sighs. 

"taki was working on a spell," he says, and _oh_ he gets why she's so excited now. "I got roped into helping."

taki drags takashi over to a nearby railing and pushes him until he's leaning against it. kan follows him at a distance, and when taki lets go they settle next to him. 

"stay there," taki orders. "watch."

she uses her magic to draw symbols in the air, ones for flight and elevation and illusion and light, and takashi is intrigued. it's activated by slamming a fist into one of the symbols, which tanuma does, and there's a bright red flash. when takashi can see again he's surrounded by little dancing butterflies, emitting a soft light. it's beautiful. illusion spells aren't especially difficult, but covering such a large surface area is tricky, and takashi is impressed. he applauds quietly, and taki beams at him, smile wide and bright.

"pretty," kan remarks, next to him. 

takashi leans back, watching the butterflies as they flutter around, and feels something in him ease. feels at peace. 

(later in the week he visits home, and leaving it is easier, this time. touko-san still gives him protection spells, although he thinks he can detect a hint of shigeru-san's magic in there too, now. he brings back boxes full of food, and taki and tanuma descend upon them like they haven't eaten in years. 

the ache he feels when he thinks of home is fading. it's easier to leave things behind when you know you'll be welcomed on your return.

"autumn boy," kan says, when he sees them again. "why are you smiling?"

"no reason," takashi murmurs. "I'm just happy.") 


End file.
